


5 signs of Keith falling in love (feat. Lance)

by Talinor



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: 5 Things, Angst and Fluff, Galra Keith, Getting Together, M/M, Mostly Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-14
Updated: 2016-10-14
Packaged: 2018-08-22 07:37:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,768
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8277932
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Talinor/pseuds/Talinor
Summary: Point was, it wasn't really surprising to find out Keith had never said 'I love you' to anyone not related to him before. Keith's a guarded and private person. There were layers to the hotheaded Red Paladin that most people didn't bother to peel away.Luckily, Lance wasn't like most people.





	

**Author's Note:**

> i've done so much angst lately so I needed some fluff
> 
> over the course of 3 consecutive nights at midnight, this fic happened
> 
> enjoy!

Keith hasn't been in a lot of romantic relationships. That fact's not really surprising. At the Garrison, he was always aloof. Barely talking to people if he didn't have to.

Platonic relationships apparently weren't his forte either, but ever since he became a Paladin he'd gotten better at it. He didn't freeze up when Hunk hugged him anymore. Shiro and him were close already, Keith obviously happy to have his big brother around. Allura was a great sparring partner for him. Coran apparently still tells Keith (in great detail) stories about the adventures of the first Paladins. He'd caught Keith and Pidge up late into the night talking about past experiences that they were convinced were aliens. It was probably just the fact that it was like 3:30 AM Earth time, but Keith had gotten into it. As in, 'wildly-gesturing-toward-Pidge-whenever-they-agreed-with-a-point-of-his' into it. It was kinda cute how passionate he had been about it, honestly.

But not Lance's point.

Point was, it wasn't really surprising to find out Keith had never said 'I love you' to anyone not related to him before. Keith's a guarded and private person. There were layers to the hotheaded Red Paladin that most people didn't bother to peel away.

Luckily, Lance wasn't like most people.

He learned slowly about the different signs, the hidden messages behind some of Keith's words. What he tended to do when he was upset or anxious but didn't want to show it. Keith was like any other person- messy and complicated like a puzzle with red pieces strewn around the floor. But he was determined to pick up those pieces, arrange them back together as best as he could. There would still be some missing, some wouldn't fit quite right, but he didn't mind. They were all like that.

He noticed quickly how Keith might not say the words, but he had ways of showing those words. There were about 5 overall before and eventually the beginning of their relationship. Small signs that he eventually learned whispered "I love you," so Keith wouldn't have to.

i.

Now, Keith honestly wasn't a cheery person. Not by a long shot. Especially not when they first became Paladins. He was still Mister Broody, the lone wolf. A person who could be so prickly, it was no wonder he ran off to the desert. He wanted to be among his cactus brethren.

But something changed.

Keith's rare smiles pointed at him used to be either uncomfortable or very smug. He only saw genuine ones pointed at someone else, a sight caught in his peripheral vision. Until one evening.

All of them were at the dinner table. Conversation was easy and familiar at that point. It felt weird to admit he'd grown into a routine of sitting down and talking with two 10,000+ year old aliens after a long day of defending the universe in some way. But whatever. Life was weird like that.

Anyways, he told a really bad joke. One so awful his brain must've subconsciously decided it would just be best to block it from his memory forever. Most of the team groaned at it. Allura and Coran just stared at him in confusion. He only heard one snicker; one that came from right next to him.

Keith had actually though it was funny. He immediately tried to hide his smile with his hand, shining purple eyes looking anywhere else but the seat next to him. It took him a minute to realize that wasn't a sarcastic snicker, or a mean one pointed directly at him. It was a genuine almost-laugh with him, not against. His pale cheeks had the slightest brush of pink.

But by that time, the conversation had already shifted to something else. He couldn't bring it up.

Not yet, anyway.

If it had been a one-time, or even a two-time thing, he wouldn't have mentioned it. Maybe Keith just had a terrible sense of humor. But after that night, Keith started laughing at his jokes more often. 

Keith's laugh wasn't usually loud, but Lance still couldn't help but notice it. 

("Keith, wait up!" Lance quickened his pace to catch up with the Red Paladin. Keith stopped to wait for him, one eyebrow raised and a suspicious expression on his face. The mission that day hadn't gone too well. "Are you cold?"

"What?" Keith asked.

"I have a point, I promise." He told him with a grin. "Just answer the question."

"No," he said with a short sigh. "Why? It's not colder than it usually is in here."

"Oh, good," Experimentally, Lance slung an arm over Keith's shoulders. The other Paladin stiffened up slightly, but didn't seem to want to ask him to move it. The stiff shoulders loosened pretty quickly. "'Cause if you were, I would've told you to go stand in a corner."

He got the reaction he predicted- pure and obvious confusion. "That wouldn't really change the temperature, Lance."

"Yeah," he said matter-of-factly. "It would have, actually."

"How?"

There it was. The question he'd been waiting for. Time for the punchline. "The thing is, Keithy-boy-"

"-Please don't ever call me that again," Keith interrupted.

"Anyways," he continued after a moment. "It's basic knowledge that corners are always 90 degrees."

Honestly, he expected a blank stare. He expected the joke to sail right over Keith's head. But surprisingly enough, Keith let out a soft, breathy laugh and rolled his eyes. "You're an idiot," he said fondly, a small smile still on his face.)

Keith has a nice laugh, honestly.

ii.

Back then, Lance thought he had been pretty good at hiding how much he missed Earth. Turns out he actually hadn't been, but oh well. He was more obvious about something than he thought- that was practically his life story summed up right there.

Usually it was mild. Brief pangs of pain at memories of home, a heavy feeling in his chest whenever he remembered how far away from home he was. But he also knew he was fighting to protect it. To protect his family. That thought helped him cope a little.

Not much, but it was still enough.

One planet they visited in particular made his homesickness hit him full force. Empyreia, a planet that was about 80% deep blue ocean, 15% beach islands splattered across the planet like freckles, and only about 5% wild, untamed jungle.

Most of the Empyreians lived underwater, in grand old cities their great ancestors built. The ones on the surface lived simpler lives, in huts most of them built themselves.

It was the closest to home he knew he'd probably get. The sky was the same shade of blue, the wind carried the same freshness. The sand felt about the same. It made his heart feel heavy.

Then, the second night they were there while Allura and Shiro were at a diplomatic relations meeting with the Empyreian queen, dark grey clouds rolled in. Lance stayed on the beach, watching as the storm clouds obstructed his view of the silver moon.

He's pretty sure not all of the drops that rolled down his cheeks came from the clouds.

("Hey! Lance!" Keith called out, quickening his pace to catch up with him. The alliance talks had gone down without a hitch, and it had been time to leave Empyreia to get more allies and defend more people. Part of him was happy to go. Staying there only rubbed salt in the wound.

Lance stopped for him, raising an eyebrow. Both of Keith's hands were hidden behind his back. "Yeah?"

"I, uh," he said. He shifted nervously, from one leg to the other. "I got you something." He moved one hand out in front of him, showing Lance a simple dark green pouch tied closed by a thin white string. It was about the size of his palm. "Here." 

"You got me a pouch?" Lance said with an exaggerated gasp. "Just what I've always wanted!"

Keith smiled and rolled his eyes. "You're an idiot," he said with the same fond softness. He passed it into Lance's hand. "Just open it."

Curiously, Lance slipped the string off. The pouch unfolded in his hand, revealing his actual present. His breath caught in his throat at the sight.

It was a smooth, round stone. Different shades of blue blended together beautifully, constantly moving and flowing on the surface in calming motions. It was pleasantly cool to the touch, his fingertips idly tracing the patterns in wonder. He looked from the stone to Keith in honest surprise.

"I saw it and thought of you," he explained. Violet eyes looked down at the floor in a way someone would say bashfully, if they didn't know Keith at all and didn't know he was never bashful. "I know you miss Earth, so I thought maybe... this could help?" He shrugged. "Dumb, I know."

"It's not dumb at all," he said softly. "It's... really kinda sweet, honestly." Without thinking about it, he quickly gave Keith a hug. "Thanks."

Keith tensed up at the sudden contact. At the time, Lance didn't understand why. But he soon relaxed, and hugged back. "You're welcome."

To this day, Lance still has that stone. It's on proud display.)

iii.

Keith wasn't really a trusting person. He also didn't like burdening people with his problems, insisting that he could handle it on his own before realizing he really couldn't. If one of them tried to help before that, he'd just snap at them and isolate himself even more.

So all of them were plenty concerned when Keith didn't show up at breakfast one morning, but they knew it would be a bad idea to try and confront him about it. Keith would ask for advice when he got his head out of his ass and realized he needed someone else's help. It had to be his decision when he was ready for that.

Lance was just surprised when it ended up being him Keith went to.

(He'd been cleaning his helmet when his comm went off. "Lance," Keith's voice was rough. "Could you come see me? I'm in my room."

His heart skipped a beat. He put one finger to his comm, trying his very best to sound calm and collected. "Yeah, sure." He said in a tone that tried too hard to be casual, putting his helmet and the rag he'd been using on his bed. "Be there in a sec."

He had to will himself not to scream when he turned the comm off. Keith wanted to see him. 

Alone. 

Just the two of them. 

In Keith's bedroom. 

A couple weeks before that, he wouldn't have thought anything of it. But by that time, a crush had started to grow. It reared its ugly head at that moment, making his skin tingle with thoughts of what Keith could possibly want.

But there was only one way to find out for sure.

He had been out of his room before he even knew it, heart pounding rapidly in his chest. He was both kinda scared and a little excited at the same time. His hands shook when they knocked at Keith's door. "Keith?" He called. "It's me."

"Come in." Came the muffled reply.

The door made a beeping noise, then slid open for him smoothly. It revealed Keith's abnormally clean room. It barely looked different from how all theirs did when they first came to the Castle. The only signs that someone actually lived there was the crop jacket hanging by the door, the knife on the sterile metal desk, and the person sitting on the bed wrapped up in a blanket. Keith was facing away from him, hiding himself entirely under the covers.

"Lance," Keith said. "I... need to tell you something."

"Of course," he said, moving to sit at the foot of the bed. "What is it?"

"Do you ever think you're one thing your entire life," Keith started. "Only to realize that you're not? That you're... something else? Completely different than what you believed you were? And you're just..." He let out a frustrated sigh. "...really scared to tell anyone else 'cause you know it'll probably affect how they think of you?"

Lance bit the inside of his cheek. He thought it over, a wave of memories washing over him. He nodded. Then realized Keith couldn't see it. "...You could say that, yeah." He looked to him with concern. "...Why do you ask? Are you okay?"

"I... Well," Keith went quiet for a second. "Not really. It would just be better if I showed you."

Lance watched silently as Keith let go of the blanket he'd been grasping onto to hide himself. He shrugged it off, letting it loosely tumble down to his tense shoulders. At first Lance only saw the back of Keith's mullet, dark purple instead of black, and big fluffy purple ears. Then he turned to look at him with yellow iris-less eyes. Keith was hugging himself, newfound claws making slight indents in the purple skin.

In an event as rare as raining diamonds, Lance was utterly speechless. He really had no idea what to say.

Keith seemed to want to hear something, anything to make him feel better. He was looking at Lance expectantly. He seemed to be holding onto a glimmer of hope. One that was slowly getting extinguished.

Keith sighed in resignation. "I knew it," he said, reaching for the blanket. "This was a bad idea. I just-"

"No no no- wait," Lance yanked the blanket away before Keith could hide away in his little antisocial cocoon again. He wasn't gonna mess this up, not when Keith really needed him. "The silence wasn't a bad thing, I was just... a little shocked." He shifted closer to Keith, crossing his legs to rest them on the mattress. "How did you...?"

"Find out?" Keith finished for him. He shrugged, shoulders still tense. But he did move so he faced towards Lance. "I don't know how I activated it, but I-I guess my 'human form' was some kinda disguise. This morning, I felt really tingly and weird so I went to the mirror and..." He gestured to his face. "This stared back at me."

Lance took a second to study Keith's face. Other than the colors and his eyes, Keith... didn't look much different honestly. He was still the hot... headed, tempermental, snarky Red Paladin. Just a little bit furrier. Like a fluffy koala-cat who was staring at him in confusion.

"You know," Lance leaned back, arranging his hands into an L7 rectangle as an imaginary camera. "No offense, but you look kinda like this one broody bad boy type I knew back at the Garrison." He lowered his hands in fake shock. "Wait, shit, that is offensive 'cause that guy was terrible. Just awful." He patted at Keith's knee in consolation. "I'm so sorry for insulting you like that."

He could practically see the moment when Keith realized. The brief moment of clarity before he joined in on the act. He raised an eyebrow, shoulders relaxed as he leaned against the wall. "Oh?" He said, trying to suppress a small smile. "And what was this bad boy like?"

Lance waved him off. "You wouldn't have liked him," he said. "You're like 10,000 times better than he was. Even if you look like a furry."

"Careful Lance," Keith was failing at hiding his smile. "That got dangerously close to a compliment."

"So?" Lance asked. "Maybe that was a compliment." He leaned in. "Don't tell anyone I told you this- they probably wouldn't believe you anyway- but you're a pretty great person. How you look," he gestured to Keith. "doesn't change that. I know that, and I also know that the others do, too." He rested a hand on Keith's shoulder. "I got you no matter what, though. I want you to know that."

Keith didn't tense, didn't shift uncomfortably. His ears didn't even twitch. He would've definitely taken his hand away if he looked uncomfortable.

But he didn't. He let Lance's hand stay where it was, looking to and away from him thoughtfully. Like he was considering something. Then he did something unexpected.

He hugged Lance, burying his face in his shirt.

"Thank you," he barely heard the whispered words.)

iv.

One important thing about Keith- he's like a pit bull. Normally strong and caring, but once he sunk his teeth into something, it was very hard to get him to let go.

So when they found a Galra slaver ship, naturally Keith was one of the Paladins in favor of checking it out immediately.

It started as a routine mission. The Castle picked up the ship on the scanners from a mile away while they were inbetween missions. The Alteans quickly figured out what the ship was for, and of course everyone wanted to free the slaves on board. But Lance and Hunk were in favor of waiting, seeing if it was a trap.

Pidge and Keith were the immediate advocates for quick emancipation. They wanted to get in, take care of any enemies on the ship, free the slaves, and get out as quick as possible. Which wasn't really surprising, honestly. 

What was surprising was when the 'rational' adults- Shiro, Allura, and Coran- agreed with the plan. So they just had to go along with it.

So there Lance and Keith were, walking side by side down the dark hallways of the ship. The ship had many different branching sectors, so it was decided that in order to speed things up, three teams of two would split up and work together to free the slaves in certain sectors. The teams were Hunk and Pidge, Shiro and Allura, and naturally Lance and Keith. 

The two had been tense the entire time. One hand was always hovering over their bayards, ready to grab and activate them at a moments notice.

But other than the echo of their footsteps, there was only silence. No muffled sobs, no whispered alien prayers, nothing. Just the worst kind of quiet- the one where you know someone or something is going to jump out at any moment, but all you can do about it is wait until it happens.

But it doesn't come, so it's a constant sense of paranoia and wondering when the storm would come. When the still calmness would be over.

It's still surprising when it does actually come. Like when a sudden stabbing pain exploded in his side, blooming through him immediately. He whirled around, bayard in hand and finger on the trigger, but there was nothing there. 

Because the Druid materialized right in front of them, pushing the two back with a surge of magic. The force only made his wound sting even more. He winced in pain, putting one hand to cover it. Keith looked to him in concern, ears flattened. It was getting hard to concentrate.

There must've been some kind of poison on whatever had stabbed him. It was working itself into his systems quickly. Already his head felt light, the wooziness making it hard for him to focus on almost anything.

Anything except for Keith. The other Paladin was right by his side, saying something Lance couldn't decipher. It felt like he was submerged underwater, light and able to see close to him, but words sounded like muddled nonsense.

The Druid apparently said something, because Keith's expression darkened. He half-led, half-dragged Lance to sit down against a wall before turning to the Druid. His bayard activated in his hand. 

Lance wanted to get up, try to help, but his eyelids kept getting harder and harder to keep open. He tried to stay awake, even tried getting up a couple times. But to no avail. Without meaning to, he drifted off.

(Keith only told him what exactly happened years later.

The Druid was a dirty fighter. He kept teleporting behind Keith, duplicating himself, and a couple of times he did both. Eventually the fight had turned from one Keith was trying to win into holding the Druid off from calling for reinforcements while the others were heading their way. The Druid was smug the entire time, saying just the right things to get under Keith's skin. Taunting him.

One particular comment really got to him.

The Druid had knocked Keith down momentarily, looking down on him like he was just a pest. "You know," he said. "Originally I was going to let the two of you live. Many Commanders would love to have one of the famed Paladins as a pet." He tsked. "But you? You're too spirited. More effort than all the humans on your planet combined are worth, honestly." Then his eyes shifted to Lance's unconscious body slumped against the wall. "Perhaps the blue one would be easier to break?"

Keith had slowly got to his feet, breaths ragged from the broken ribs he had to stay in a healing pod for a full day for. But despite his injuries, he had stayed steady, a determined fire in his eyes. He got into his stance, and said the words that still gave Lance chills to think about.

"Over my dead body.")

v.

Unsurprisingly, Keith was still a loner. He would never turn down a chance to spar with Allura or Shiro, but if he had to choose, he'd pick training alone against the simulator every time. It was just a known fact. Keith liked to be alone. He preferred it. Everyone knew that.

Everyone except Shiro, who knew the truth. Eventually Lance learned it too.

(From Shiro.

...Well, Shiro wasn't the one to tell him. But he did stop Lance in the hallway one fateful afternoon after a mission of getting rid of Galra on another alien planet.

"Look," Shiro started. "Lance, I know you and Keith have gotten close." Lance opened his mouth to speak before the Black Paladin quickly interrupted. "Don't even try to deny it. But this isn't really about your obvious crush on my little brother. This is about Keith. He got really... somber and quiet after today's mission. He wouldn't tell me when I tried to talk to him about it." He paused for a moment. "But I think he'd tell you."

"What?" Lance said incredulously. "Why do you think that?"

Shiro bit the inside of his cheek hesitantly, eyes shifting back and forth between Lance and the wall. He knew something. Something he wasn't quite sure he wanted to tell. Finally he spoke. "He trusts you. A lot more than you probably realize."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

He sighed. "Please," he said. "Just... go see what's wrong. He needs you." He went about his way, leaving Lance stunned.

Did... Keith like him back? It seems so obvious looking back on it, but he wracked his mind for any hints or clues Shiro could have picked up on. And if Shiro knew, who else did? Probably Pidge and Allura. The mice always tell her everything they know. Maybe Hunk and Coran. Both were pretty good at picking up on things like that and knew Lance pretty well. Which left just Keith and him.

That thought reminded him what Shiro asked him to do. 'Alone with Keith in his bedroom', part two. He headed that way. He knew his way around the ship by now. It was pretty easy to navigate, the winding halls that were once mazelike and intimidating now as familiar as his own home. So he got down to Keith's room pretty easily.

He could feel his blood rushing in his ears, his heartbeat drumming steadily. But he tried his absolute best to stay cool this time. His hands didn't shake as much when he knocked at the door.

"Go away," was Keith's hoarse reply.

"Keith? Buddy?" Lance said. "It's me. Can I come in?"

Silence hung in the air for a couple long and anxious seconds. Then finally, a simple sigh broke it.

"Door's open," Keith told him. "Just come in."

The door whirred open, revealing Keith's room.

And boy, did it change.

Pieces of his Paladin armor laid strewn about the floor. Lance had to step over Keith's helmet just to get in. His crop jacket was covering most of the table. 

When he saw Keith rubbing at (and quickly trying to hide) his split-open angry red knuckle, he could guess why.

"Keith," he said, sitting down next to where the other Paladin was sitting cross-legged in his black skinny jeans. He hadn't put on his grey shirt yet, but Lance barely noticed. He was too busy looking at the shine under Keith's eyes. His yellow eyes were tinged a light, almost pastel yellow. Had he been crying? "What's wrong?"

"I'm fine," he lied. "Just tired."

"Your knuckle's bleeding," Lance said. "and you look like you just finished crying. It's fine if you don't wanna talk about it, but don't lie to me. You're not a good liar."

Keith's ears flattened. He looked at Lance hesitantly, biting his bottom lip. "I punched the table," he started. "Accidentally hit the knife. That's why my knuckle's bleeding."

Okay. A good start. "...Can I ask why you punched the table? Doesn't seem like something you'd do for no reason."

"It's... a long story," he said.

Lance swung his legs over onto the bed, crossing them. He made himself as comfy and cozy as possible in his little spot on the mattress. Once he was, he looked over to Keith expectantly.

Keith deflated with another sigh. "Fine," he said, crossing his arms and leaning against the wall. "If you wanna know so badly, here it is- I had been looking for my family recently. My... birth family."

Oh. That... made sense.

Wait.

"'Had'?" Lance asked. "What'd you find?"

"My father betrayed the Galra," Keith said, voice quieter. "He was the one who lowered the main base's barrier so we could escape through a wormhole. They found out it was him and..." He paused to wipe at his eyes. "Sent him to that Galra camp we destroyed today. For a public execution."

It felt like Lance's heart stopped. "Did we...?"

Keith shook his head. "They'd already done it before we got there," his voice was broken. "A-And I just..." His shoulders slumped. "All of you have families, people you care about back on Earth, and I..."

On instinct, Lance moved to his side. "God, Keith, I'm..." He put an arm around him, rubbing soothing circles into the skin. Keith hid his face in Lance's neck. The wet sensation on his skin was the only sign that he was actually crying. Apparently Keith was a silent crier. "I'm so sorry."

"I know this sounds dumb," he said, moving his head to rest Lance's shoulder to speak. "But at times like this, or when one of you guys talk about life on Earth, I can't help but feel..." He paused, searching for the right word. "Alone."

"Hey," Lance chided. "Of course you're not alone. You have friends, you have family right on this ship," he grinned. "Not to mention your best friend, moi."

Keith looked contemplative for a moment. He wiped the tears from his eyes. Then tilted his head up slightly to show he was looking at Lance. "...Is that what we are?" He asked. His voice showed something he wasn't sure Keith even had- vulnerability. "Friends?"

Never mind what he thought earlier. His heart really did feel like it stopped. It felt like his heart grew arms, crawled up into his throat, and died. It felt like the universe itself had stopped, and this moment was the focal point.

"That depends," Lance said, licking his dry lips. "Do you, um, wanna just be friends, or-?"

"No." The answer was immediate and extremely blunt. Just like Keith. "Do you?"

"Can't really blame ya' there- I am pretty awesome," His answer wasn't much slower. The crush hadn't died, just died down a little. At that moment it returned with a fiery fury. "But I can't really date myself, so I guess I'll just grace you instead." He grinned down at Keith. "You're a pretty lucky guy, Kogane."

He's pretty sure Keith rolled his eyes. He moved his head up, cupping Lance's chin with one hand to tilt their faces toward each other. "And you're an idiot," he said with that fond tone. Their faces were so close, he could feel Keith's brief puffs of breath. "But you're right."

The two mutually leaned toward each other like opposing magnets, and when their lips first met for the first time, it felt so wonderfully _right.)_

**Author's Note:**

> come yell at me on Tumblr: squishy--squish


End file.
